Burgess_101
Member
In regards of keyboards, your best bet is to try both switches out. I've had both and prefer blur but its personal preference. If you can try and find a Maplin, they usually have some lying about to try.
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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 2. Read the OP. Rocking 2500K's until HBM2 and beyond.
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In regards of keyboards, your best bet is to try both switches out. I've had both and prefer blur but its personal preference. If you can try and find a Maplin, they usually have some lying about to try.
BjornTheBear
Banned
Hey guys. Please, help me out.
I have a AMD FX 6300 six core 3.50GHz, and 8 GB of ram, what's the best GPU for me?
I want to play Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Dark Souls 3 et cetera, at 60 fps on medium-high.
I have a AMD FX 6300 six core 3.50GHz, and 8 GB of ram, what's the best GPU for me?
I want to play Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Dark Souls 3 et cetera, at 60 fps on medium-high.
opticalmace
Member
budget? 1080p?
Wowfunhappy
Member
Any particular reason you're looking at Broadwell rather than Skylake? While Skylake isn't a huge leap forward in CPU power, they made significant improvement in the performance of integrated graphics. If you're planning on rely on integrated for a while, I think Skylake would make more sense.
I have no idea regarding your other questions, sorry.
Cirekiller
Member
I just had windows 10 do a fresh install again and that got rid of it. I recommend saving it for a little while so you can easily return to 7 if you have any issues with 10.
Broadwell had better gpu with its 128mb edram.
Arren
Member
Hey guys, I'm currently having a very unexpected and sudden issue with my gaming PC and I'm quote clueless at the moment about its occurrence, so I thought maybe you could give me some much appreciate assistance and insight.
Basically out of the blue and without any reason my PC gas started giving me occasional loops when booting Windows. I turn it on, see the usual BIOS message at startup, then Windows starts loading and after a second it goes into a cycle, saying that the OS could not be started because of an improper shutdown.
Now I am absolutely sure that Windows was shutdown correctly and, in fact, when I choose the option to start the OS normally it does start it regularly, but only after a few attempts / loops.
Once I manage to get Windows to boot, everything seems perfect within the OS itself. However sometimes I can't boot it all, even when selecting the "Boot Windows regularly" option, and it goes into a loop cycle.
Some details that could be helpful:
- I can reproduce it constantly after regularly shutting down Windows (so the PC turns off completely), then unplugging the power cord from the wall. After waiting a few minutes and plugging the cord back, as soon as I turn the PC on the problem manifests itself.
- Yesterday something odd occurred: after turning off the PC I simply placed my xbox-one controller on the case and I heard a brief 2-3 seconda Long buzzing noise, kind of like an electric interference. Hope it's unrelated to the problem I'm describing and there's no electric damage, but in case how could I diagnose it?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Basically out of the blue and without any reason my PC gas started giving me occasional loops when booting Windows. I turn it on, see the usual BIOS message at startup, then Windows starts loading and after a second it goes into a cycle, saying that the OS could not be started because of an improper shutdown.
Now I am absolutely sure that Windows was shutdown correctly and, in fact, when I choose the option to start the OS normally it does start it regularly, but only after a few attempts / loops.
Once I manage to get Windows to boot, everything seems perfect within the OS itself. However sometimes I can't boot it all, even when selecting the "Boot Windows regularly" option, and it goes into a loop cycle.
Some details that could be helpful:
- I can reproduce it constantly after regularly shutting down Windows (so the PC turns off completely), then unplugging the power cord from the wall. After waiting a few minutes and plugging the cord back, as soon as I turn the PC on the problem manifests itself.
- Yesterday something odd occurred: after turning off the PC I simply placed my xbox-one controller on the case and I heard a brief 2-3 seconda Long buzzing noise, kind of like an electric interference. Hope it's unrelated to the problem I'm describing and there's no electric damage, but in case how could I diagnose it?
Thanks in advance for any help!
lordfuzzybutt
Member
First thing I would do is to open up the case, and check the sata cable, make sure it is securely plugged in.
Hey Im Patrick
Member
An R9-390 or a GTX 970 if it's High-Max at 60fps. But if you're on a budget, you can go with R9-380 or GTX960 it still can go on high but not on 60FPS on those games, especially Witcher 3.
BjornTheBear
Banned
Will the 970 have any problems with my FX 6300?
Oh, just one more thing.
The monitors have "frequencies", I don't really know what's that, but anyway, the monitor need to have 60hz to truly display 60fps on games, right?
I am doing video editing on a PC I built with the help of this thread. Currently, I have a 250gb SSD as my main drive and I have been using a couple external drives to save my videos to. The problem is, it seems that by leaving these drives plugged all the time, it causes my computer to slow down quite a bit.
I don't want to have to unplug and replug in the drives every time I use them, which is every time I edit. So, I want to look into an internal solution that I can use and then once a week or so dump onto the external.
Would I be better off getting say a 500gb/1 TB SSD or would a 3.5" SATA drive like the WD Black serve me better? Remember I only need about a week's worth and then I'll move the files. Looking for speed/reliability.
I don't want to have to unplug and replug in the drives every time I use them, which is every time I edit. So, I want to look into an internal solution that I can use and then once a week or so dump onto the external.
Would I be better off getting say a 500gb/1 TB SSD or would a 3.5" SATA drive like the WD Black serve me better? Remember I only need about a week's worth and then I'll move the files. Looking for speed/reliability.
Redmethod18
Member
There's a Maplin on my way home, I would never have thought they would have them around. That's great advice thank you very much.
Burgess_101
Member
If there are none on show don't be afraid to ask I'm sure they could help out. Obviously not all Maplins have the same stock and what have you but its worth a try. They usually at least have a Razer Blackwidow which whilst isnt cherry blue are rather similar. If not PC world is another one to try.
Good luck!
OK folks, what do you think of these specs for a 1080p gaming PC?
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600k
Cooler: Cryorig H5 Ultimate
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P
Memory: G.Skill Kill 3000 MHz 2x4 GB
SSD: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
GPU: MSI GTX 970 Armor OC
Case: Zalman R1 Black (sort of a random choice based on looks, so I'll just reserve €100 for the case)
PSU: Seasonic S12II 620W
Total: €1155.30
I can stretch the budget up a little, but not by much, Portuguese prices suck. Any recommendations and comments? I don't really know the best brands and versions of mobos and GFX and whatnot. A silent PC as possible without sacrificing performance would be cool. I really need help, need to get a PC asap.
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600k
Cooler: Cryorig H5 Ultimate
Motherboard: Asus Z170-P
Memory: G.Skill Kill 3000 MHz 2x4 GB
SSD: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
GPU: MSI GTX 970 Armor OC
Case: Zalman R1 Black (sort of a random choice based on looks, so I'll just reserve €100 for the case)
PSU: Seasonic S12II 620W
Total: €1155.30
I can stretch the budget up a little, but not by much, Portuguese prices suck. Any recommendations and comments? I don't really know the best brands and versions of mobos and GFX and whatnot. A silent PC as possible without sacrificing performance would be cool. I really need help, need to get a PC asap.
Crimsonlink
Member
So I'm doing it guys. Putting the pc together. I mostly nervous about installing windows 10 and how I'm gonna pull that off on a new pc vs actually putting the hardware together lol.
I spent all of lunch today chatting with a friend about his new build... big mistake.
Want my own damn new build.
Currently I got:
AMD Phenom II X4 965.
12gig 1600 Mhz DDR3 Ram.
Asus Radeon HD 6870 GPU / Access to a 280 but my CPU is a bottleneck + it rattles.
A good PSU.
A gigabyte motherboard.
Some 7200 RPM 1TB samsung HDDs.
I guess I can use the RAM, PSU and the HDDs but everything else has to go.
The plan:
i5 4690K
A nice GPU.
Samsung SSD EVO 850-Series 250GB
A nice, quitet, not too large chassi.
A nice motherboard.
600-1000€ to spend depending on how needy I get.
I want to be able to run Dota 2 at 1080p60 @ Max settings. That's about it really.
I need recommendations for chassi, motherboard, gpu. I don't really favour either red or green, just want what's good. If it's quite all the better. If it doesn't get too hot all the better. I'm looking at the price range 960 / 380 for the GPU, do I need more? A smallish chassi is preferred but certainly not required.
Around 100€ for the motherboard and around 100€ for the chassi. If I need new RAM I'll get that too.
From what I understand DDR4 ain't all that.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: I live in Sweden.
Want my own damn new build.
Currently I got:
AMD Phenom II X4 965.
12gig 1600 Mhz DDR3 Ram.
Asus Radeon HD 6870 GPU / Access to a 280 but my CPU is a bottleneck + it rattles.
A good PSU.
A gigabyte motherboard.
Some 7200 RPM 1TB samsung HDDs.
I guess I can use the RAM, PSU and the HDDs but everything else has to go.
The plan:
i5 4690K
A nice GPU.
Samsung SSD EVO 850-Series 250GB
A nice, quitet, not too large chassi.
A nice motherboard.
600-1000€ to spend depending on how needy I get.
I want to be able to run Dota 2 at 1080p60 @ Max settings. That's about it really.
I need recommendations for chassi, motherboard, gpu. I don't really favour either red or green, just want what's good. If it's quite all the better. If it doesn't get too hot all the better. I'm looking at the price range 960 / 380 for the GPU, do I need more? A smallish chassi is preferred but certainly not required.
Around 100€ for the motherboard and around 100€ for the chassi. If I need new RAM I'll get that too.
From what I understand DDR4 ain't all that.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: I live in Sweden.
After over 6 years of service my PC died today. Went home for lunch and noticed computer was off. Tried to power on and nothing. I could smell the hint of electronic short scent. Unplugged the power and plugged back in and when I tried the power button something sparked and the smell was the typical electronic short smell.
Now to decide on a build but not looking forward to it and have not kept in the loop of what's out there these days.
Windows 7 or 10? What is the top power supplies these days?
Thinking of an I7 Devils Canyon processor and an ASUS sabertooth mainboard. What memory is the best these days? How about SSD? Thinking of a Samsung Pro but not sure on what series.
Now to decide on a build but not looking forward to it and have not kept in the loop of what's out there these days.
Windows 7 or 10? What is the top power supplies these days?
Thinking of an I7 Devils Canyon processor and an ASUS sabertooth mainboard. What memory is the best these days? How about SSD? Thinking of a Samsung Pro but not sure on what series.
What country are you in? We can recommend parts more easily if we know what sort of selection you have access to. Do you have any preferred retailers to deal with, for example? Local? Amazon?
Dota 2 has very basic requirements, you can definitely use that R9 280 and it will meet your needs. A brand new GTX 960 or R9 380 is also an option, but only slightly stronger than the R9 280. Not sure what you mean by it rattles? The fan on the graphics card or the CPU rattles? You can definitely reuse your RAM and hard drives as well. Yes, there's not a lot to separate DDR4 in terms of performance, although DDR4 is still new and has room to be improved. Not a lot of games are bottlenecked by RAM so it's not much of an issue to stick with DDR3, just know that DDR3 is on its way out and whatever new upgrades you do in the future won't be able to reuse DDR3.
What country are you in and what's your budget? Any considerations like the size of the case, or features like noise-absorption or what sort of performance you're looking for? Is this for games or will you be doing other things like video editing or work? Resolution like 1080p or 1440p? 60FPS? Medium, high, ultra settings on the latest games?
Windows 7 is still fine for now, but Microsoft is pushing everyone to move away from it. In the future, I think Windows 10 will be the preferred platform for new tech like DirectX 12, so you should be looking forward rather than back to Windows 7.
What country are you in and what's your budget? Nothing wrong with i7 Devil's Canyon, but the newer Intel Skylake processors are out which come with newer tech like USB 3.1 and DDR4 RAM support. It's a bit more future-looking in that future upgrades will revolve around that and Devil's Canyon and Z97 don't feature the latest stuff. Asus Sabertooth is high end, but pricey. Whether you should go with that or not depends on other factors like the rest of your build and what sort of budget you have. Motherboards don't really factor into performance unless you're overclocking, and even
There's not a lot of difference between different memory vendors, all of the good ones offer lifetime warranty. Depending on what parts you go with, you may want low profile RAM to better fit under large air coolers.
As for the SSD, Samsung's Pro models are very good but have a premium price tag. The Evo is better for price to performance and isn't that far behind in terms of speed. You always want the latest series which is the 850 series. The older series are discontinued and won't receive any more support. If you want alternative suggestions, Crucial's MX and BX line are quite good, they're slightly slower but are still quite fast and usually tend to offer better performance to price ratio.
I'm in Sweden. I've shopped on webhallen, inet,dustinhome, netonnet and cdon before. I'm not afraid to use others. Whatever prisjakt ("pricehunt") tells me!
The "right" GPU fan rattles when it runs. I've tried taping it (with electric tape, for stability) which removes some of the noise, tried removing the fan and cleaning it. It seems to be something >on the inside<. Seems I need to buy a new fan to solve. It's 2 years used before I got it so it probably has some battle wounds. It's rather loud in any case.
I feel like the 50-70€ I'd spend on getting DDR4 would be better spent elsewhere. Maybe I'm wrong!
US
Budget isn't really set. I game but not like I once did but always like to build a powerful computer. Not top of the line newest of the new but semi current.
You mention Skylake but how about Haswell?
What are the top power supplies out these days?
Thanks for the shopping comparison link, I'll be using prisjakt to compile a parts list for you.
Alright, I understand what you mean about the fan. If you are DIY-minded then it is possible to replace the fan, but it's easier and you'll have better peace of mind with a new graphics card. No, you're not wrong, DDR4 doesn't quite represent a clear advantage over DDR3 yet so it's not a bad idea to consider spending the money elsewhere so it can make a bigger difference such as on the graphics card or a CPU cooler.
These recommendations are a bit premium but still within your budget, how do they look? Click for a larger image.
i5 4690K
MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition
Fractal Design Define S
EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC
Noctua NH-D15
As the parts are, they have a good emphasis on low noise as well as good performance. If you wish to save more money, going with a GTX 960 or R9 380 is definitely an option, but the GTX 970 does fit in your price range and it would be preferable over those two for various reasons, like overall performance and that it would last longer before needing to be upgraded again. A cheaper CPU cooler would also go well towards lowering the cost.
If you are interested in cheaper graphics cards, either of these should perform well.
MSI Radeon R9 380 Gaming
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 Windforce 2X OC
All of the graphics cards I listed (including the GTX 970) have zero fan speed mode when idle for low noise. Which one you get doesn't matter too strongly as they are mostly evenly matched, but I guess you already kinda knew that. Even lower down the scale, cheaper graphics cards like the R9 270, 270X, 370, GTX 750 Ti and 950 should be more than adequate.
Also, here are cheaper CPU coolers.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (cheap but great for even moderate overclocking, no emphasis on silence but not too loud either)
Phanteks PH-TC14PE (performs similar to NH-D15 for cheaper)
Noctua NH-U14S (similar to NH-D15 but about half the size)
Devil's Canyon are the overclockable models of the newer Haswell processor lineup. You can see a list of good power supplies here. The higher up they are, the better.
I think Skylake is suited for you. It's not the absolute high end enthusiast level stuff (that would be Haswell-E and their 6 to 8 core processors), but is meant to be the new consumer level of parts (tops out at 4 cores) and offers the latest tech.
Thanks for the tips and suggestions! I'll consider if I want to future proof with DDR4 or go with DDR3 again.
Confrontation
Member
Something really weird just started happening today:
So I got my new rig for about a month now and it's been running like a dream without an issue at all. But this afternoon, out of nowhere, my screen just went black for like a second or 2 and then back to normal. And it's been happening ever since. Sometime it happens every 10mins, sometimes once an hour and then suddenly once every 5 mins.
But that's it, no messages or anything different, just that it goes black for that really small period of time. I got a GTX 970 with an i7-6700k. Monitor is also brand new (BenQ GL2250HM, 22inch).
I googled it, but there are so many answers and results that I'd like to hopefully get a clear answer from my fellow GAF-bros and definitely know their stuff (and maybe even had the exact same thing happen to them).
Anyone got a clue?
Thanks!
So I got my new rig for about a month now and it's been running like a dream without an issue at all. But this afternoon, out of nowhere, my screen just went black for like a second or 2 and then back to normal. And it's been happening ever since. Sometime it happens every 10mins, sometimes once an hour and then suddenly once every 5 mins.
But that's it, no messages or anything different, just that it goes black for that really small period of time. I got a GTX 970 with an i7-6700k. Monitor is also brand new (BenQ GL2250HM, 22inch).
I googled it, but there are so many answers and results that I'd like to hopefully get a clear answer from my fellow GAF-bros and definitely know their stuff (and maybe even had the exact same thing happen to them).
Anyone got a clue?
Thanks!
opticalmace
Member
Try reinstalling your graphics drivers. You could also try using a different cable/connection for your monitor (e.g. if you're using DP, maybe try HDMI or whatever).
Celcius
°Temp. member
So I've installed Windows 10 and I'm using a z68 motherboard (Asus z68v-pro gen3). Everything is great, except that I've noticed my ssd's aren't performing as great as they were under windows 7 (in samsung magician, my IOPS are low). Under windows 7, I would just install the latest chipset drivers and intel MEI management engine drivers and everything was fine. However, there aren't any windows 10 drivers available for my mobo and it won't let me install the windows 8.1 drivers. Is there a generic windows 10 intel z68 management engine driver that I could install and try?
edit: Nevermind, all I had to do was install the intel rapid storage technology drivers - I downloaded the win 8.1 version for my board and now my speeds are back to normal
.
edit: Nevermind, all I had to do was install the intel rapid storage technology drivers - I downloaded the win 8.1 version for my board and now my speeds are back to normal
.That's happening with my laptop right now which I have hooked up with a docking station to an Asus monitor.
Not sure what's causing it. It doesn't seem to be the result of a loose connection as jiggling cable connectors and even the dock connectors won't reproduce the black screens that happen for 1~2 seconds at a time seemingly randomly.
Try a stress test like MSI Kombuster or Furmark to see if that can trigger it? I haven't done that myself, I should do that when I get home tonight.
Confrontation
Member
I've seen 'changing PhysX from auto-select to CPU at the NVIDIA control panel' being thrown around a couple of times. Just did that myself like 5 mins ago. Let's see if that helps.
I've been doing some research on multi-GPU setups and PCI-Express v3.0. As usual, I'm driving myself crazy looking at options.
I would love some opinions, using 980 TI's as the video cards in question.
_____________
Will there be much of a performance difference using a motherboard with 4-way SLI of x8 / x8 / x8 / x8 .... versus ....x8 / x8 / x4 / x4 ....?
_____________
Thinking about 2-way SLI. How much performance difference would there be between x16 / x16 versus x8 / x8 ....?
The motherboards I'm talking about are the Z170 flagship boards from Gigabyte (Z170X G1) versus the Asus (VIII Extreme).
Thanks in advance.
I would love some opinions, using 980 TI's as the video cards in question.
_____________
Will there be much of a performance difference using a motherboard with 4-way SLI of x8 / x8 / x8 / x8 .... versus ....x8 / x8 / x4 / x4 ....?
_____________
Thinking about 2-way SLI. How much performance difference would there be between x16 / x16 versus x8 / x8 ....?
The motherboards I'm talking about are the Z170 flagship boards from Gigabyte (Z170X G1) versus the Asus (VIII Extreme).
Thanks in advance.
opticalmace
Member
x8/x8 is fine, minimal difference (think few % level). Make sure the board you choose has lots of PCIE options for (e.g.) m.2 cards, etc., though I would imagine most if not all the Z170 boards are very good at that. Also, no point in going past 2-way SLI, way too many issues.
NotMyUsername
Member
The SSD came today so I was finally able to build the new computer. I put the processor on the motherboard just fine (I hope), fumbled at getting the giant heat sink on there (had no idea what I was getting into with that), plopped the RAM in easily and then got the motherboard in the case. From there I got the video card out of my old computer to find out it doesn't fit in the case.
Well, damn. So any suggestions on a basic, cheap case that should have no issues with graphics card size? And a giant heat sink? I got the Antec One that was suggested in the builds in the OP but since I was carrying over my graphics card I didn't think about checking the size limits in the case. It's huge amount of drive bays block lengthier cards.
Fairly frustrating but whatever.
Any idea if places let you return cases after removing a couple of the metal plates for the expansion slots? I took two off to prep for the card. Guess I could just try to sell the case if not.
Well, damn. So any suggestions on a basic, cheap case that should have no issues with graphics card size? And a giant heat sink? I got the Antec One that was suggested in the builds in the OP but since I was carrying over my graphics card I didn't think about checking the size limits in the case. It's huge amount of drive bays block lengthier cards.
Fairly frustrating but whatever.
Any idea if places let you return cases after removing a couple of the metal plates for the expansion slots? I took two off to prep for the card. Guess I could just try to sell the case if not.
You should be able to remove the drive bay so it can fit longer video cards.
I know Bestbuy have credit card and I was wondering if it's a good deal if I want to change my PC since im a student and can't afford to buy a new one right away. Im getting kind of tired of playing indie games. The max graphic I can play are payday2, dota, but starcraft are lagging and I have like 10 games on Steam I bought but still can't play with because of my rig. So yeah I was wondering if a credit card from a store is the best way (but I would have to buy a PC all builded up instead of building my own)
Edit: Or maybe I can wait a bit and get a ps4 that would be a bit less $
Edit: Or maybe I can wait a bit and get a ps4 that would be a bit less $
NotMyUsername
Member
I don't see how. It's bolted/riveted in place to the bottom of the case and all the separate metal elements of the bays also appear to be all attached in the same fashion. I Googled it and others online mentioned the case can only fit cards of a specific length (10.6" or something like that). Out of frustration I considered cutting off the half inch of plastic on the end of my card since it seems completely extraneous but ultimately I know I should just get a case that fits everything properly.
Arren
Member
I tried doing this yesterday and, for a while, it seemed to fix the problem. I had simply reseated the Sata cable into its respective socket, making sure it was connected properly.
Today however the problem resurfaced again. I turn the PC on, the BIOS messages appear, then Windows begins to boot but suddenly it restarts, giving that usual message: "Windows could not be started".
If I select the option to boot Windows normally, after a few tries and a few further loops it boots and, once that happens, everything works perfectly. No signs of defect once I manage to start Windows.
I can't figure out why this happens and I'm sure I didn't make any software / hardware change whatsoever in the last days. I'd really appreciate some help in understanding how to troubleshoot this...
Burgess_101
Member
So I have to pick up a new heatsink, since I am done with watercooling. Way too much hassle for what its worth. Was probably going to pick up a Phanteks PH-TC14PE but just three questions.
1. Is there anything better for socket 1155? (budget about £65). Probably worth noting I will probably be overclocking.
2. Is it quiet? I don't really mind when I am playing games but it's in my room at night and I don't want it to be deafening.
3. Does it usually take up a DIMM on the motherboard? I'll have a GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD7-B3. It's not a huge deal if it does but it kind of leaves me a bit short if I want more RAM.
1. Is there anything better for socket 1155? (budget about £65). Probably worth noting I will probably be overclocking.
2. Is it quiet? I don't really mind when I am playing games but it's in my room at night and I don't want it to be deafening.
3. Does it usually take up a DIMM on the motherboard? I'll have a GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD7-B3. It's not a huge deal if it does but it kind of leaves me a bit short if I want more RAM.
A bit of general advice, credit is rarely a good idea.
lordfuzzybutt
Member
First, check if your motherboard is on the latest version of BIOS. If not, update it.
Then if you have a sata cable lying around, try replacing the current one with it.
-Minsc-
Member
- Your Current Specs: Mid-2007 24" iMac Core 2 Duo - It's time to move on.
- Budget: Canada - $1000 (before taxes) - awesome if I can go lower - Including monitor and peripherals.
- Main Use: General/office use (internet, LibreOffice, Simply Accounting), light to medium gaming, recording and editing of game video, Emulation (Wii).
- Monitor Resolution: 1080p - Have decided on the Asus VS239H-P, seen it in use and am happy with the quality.
- List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: 60 fps - In the foreseeable future I plan on playing Minecraft and StarMade. I will keep an eye on other voxel games in the pipeline but I don't see myself sampling those for at least a year. The latest AAA titles are of little interest. No streaming but I do plan to record and edit video for a YouTube channel. For editing I'll be using Blender. Due to other life commitments I estimate producing a max of one 30 minute video per week. Doesn't need to be super speedy when rendering.
- Looking to reuse any parts?: Excluding peripherals, no.
- When will you build?: Sometime between now and the end of the year.
- Will you be overclocking?: No.
Other notes:
- As mentioned above I'm going with the ASUS VS239H-P monitor.
- The WD CB 1TB HDD seems to be the de facto standard so I'm going with that.
- I'll use existing keyboard, mouse and headphones. Will need a mic to get me started.
- For a case I don't need anything flashy, just something nice to work in.
- Will likely go with EVGA for a power supply since from my reading they are consistently recommended (something like the EVGA 500W 80+).
- No major preference between Intel or AMD.
- No major preference between nVidia or AMD.
- Going with Windows 8.1. May toy with Linux some day.
- (edit) No optical drive needed.
Main recommendations I need from GAF are CPU, graphics card and wattage for power supply. Case and mobo form factor for a newbie builder would be a great recommendation too.
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/NnF7NG
Thanks for the reply.
My laptop only has Intel integrated graphics, so I can't say for sure we have the same problem. Good luck. I've been able to "stress" my laptop by playing MGSV:TPP on it. The game runs at just under 30FPS on lowest settings and 720 resolution and causes the CPU to run at 90~100 degrees C. While it's definitely hard on my laptop, it doesn't really seem to affect the spontaneous black screens. It might happen more often, but I can't be sure.
What case do you have? We should make sure the CPU cooler fits inside your case.
The Phanteks is a great cooler, but there's also the Noctua NH-D15 for £65. Looking at these tests by Bit-Tech, their overall performance is very similar but the Noctua wins in terms of noise level thanks to its fans.
I wouldn't say the Phanteks is loud, but if both were available at the same price, I think I'd go with the Noctua. That said, I do end up recommending the Phanteks for USD builds because it's often available for around $20 USD cheaper than the Noctua model.
As for motherboard compatibility I can't say for sure about the Phanteks, but Noctua really have done their homework for their coolers. According to the NH-D15's compatibility page, the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 gets a checkmark for compatibility. However depending on what sort of RAM you have and how tall it is, you may be forced to move the Noctua's outer fan around to accommodate the RAM, and that might not make it fit in your case (or you have to mount the fan on the other side of the cooler).
Here's what I recommend:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.39 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($54.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team Dark 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.39 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card ($269.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($169.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $918.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-29 12:36 EDT-0400
Reasons for those recommendations over your parts are as follows:
- AMD's FX line is difficult to recommend. It's a few years old and Intel's current offerings generally beat them on every level of performance except for price. Here's how the FX-6300 stacks up against an Intel i5 processor similar to the one I'm recommending. Yes, the i5 processor costs more but it's alright because there's money saved elsewhere
- A graphics card with 4GB VRAM is preferable over 2GB VRAM especially if you ever want to play any recent and more intensive games and if it fits in your budget. Going with 4GB ensures longer useful life before it becomes a bottleneck and needs to be upgraded and replaced.
- Because I am recommending an mATX motherboard, I also switched to a mATX case for a bit of a better match. What case you want is up to you so feel free to change it.
- I changed the PSU you had listed to the even cheaper EVGA 500W 80+ model. Yes, it's a bit lower end but still acceptable for your needs even quality-wise and saves you a bit more money.
- I know you had your mind set on the Asus monitor, but as an alternative I have the Acer monitor listed. It's the same size, is also IPS panel, and retains a rating of 4+ stars out of 5 after hundreds of Amazon and Newegg reviews.
Now, the last thing I have to say is about Windows. If you choose to buy a retail copy then that's fine, but the build will end up costing close to $1000 before taxes (but you do get much better parts than the AMD build). If you want to save some money, then consider buying a Windows license from Reddit. Here's my usual disclaimer on that:
Cheap Windows licenses can be bought from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for cheap, around $20 USD or less. Windows 10 licenses are also available for $30~40. These are most likely legitimate keys that are resold from educational programs like Technet or MSDNAA/Dreamspark. However, you are dealing with a person instead of a retailer, and informal Windows keys sales are not approved by Microsoft and probably breaking some licensing agreement, but it's not illegal. The risks involved are that the person could be selling you a fake or used key, or that Microsoft may refuse to give you support and/or deactivate your license and refuse to reactivate it. That's not very likely, usually it only happens if the seller and their list of sold keys was caught. We've had people here using those keys without issues for a long time and others who say Microsoft deactivated their key after several months. These keys should be upgradeable to Windows 10, but confirm with the seller to be sure, of course.
The choice is yours, it's an option.
Arren
Member
Okay, I tried replacing the SATA cable with another spare one I had, but to no avail. The problem persists and the boot loop still randomly appears.
For instance, now I'm writing this post after a successful boot and everything seems perfectly fine after I managed to enter Windows. If I turn the PC off and leave it off for a while, then turn it back on there's a high chance the problem will manifest itself once again.
I'm really clueless about this whole thing. I'll try updating the Motherboard's firmware. In the meantime, should you have any further ideas about any potential solution, please let me know.
Confrontation
Member
I actually haven't had a black screen ever since I made the change yesterday. Hopefully it's fixed now. Shame that it isn't the same on your end, good luck as well!
My new build isn't going so well. Last night I put it all together, plugged in and turned on the PSU, pressed power and *silence*. Shit. I almost hit it with a hammer.
Instead, I unplugged and re-set all the cables to the mobo, as well as the case connectors (power btn, power LED, etc) and this time it turns on!! For a few seconds. It shuts off and a red LED appears on my mobo that my manual says is for a "boot device" (hard drive) problem.
FYI it's an Asus Z170-A mobo with a SSD, HDD and an optical drive plugged into three SATA ports. I guess I could power on with only one drive plugged in at a time to see which is causing the error?
Instead, I unplugged and re-set all the cables to the mobo, as well as the case connectors (power btn, power LED, etc) and this time it turns on!! For a few seconds. It shuts off and a red LED appears on my mobo that my manual says is for a "boot device" (hard drive) problem.
FYI it's an Asus Z170-A mobo with a SSD, HDD and an optical drive plugged into three SATA ports. I guess I could power on with only one drive plugged in at a time to see which is causing the error?
Do you see anything displayed on screen, though? Even without a boot device, you should be able to get into the BIOS menu and see if it detects your drives properly.
Burgess_101
Member
I have a HAF XB, I am pretty sure it should fit in there. As for RAM I have Crucial Ballistix Tracer RAM. I was looking at the D15, I don't know if its sacrilege to say so but the colours just kind of put me off. From what I could tell the Phanteks was a lot like the Noctua heatsinks in design, so I presume it should fit if the Noctua does. I'll take a look at the D15 a bit more in depth though I think.
I don't even have a monitor hooked up at this point. Didn't think it would matter since its literally on for like 3 seconds before shutting off. I don't hear a beep when I turn it on either.
When I get home, I'll hook up a monitor and see if I can see anything on the screen.
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